Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-09-03

VIZ 80 s3PA@D w nus ss F-'
thought she Was going TO be 4 u-etul
woman and of long life; but the Lord
took her, and you were tempted TO
say: .'All this culture of twenty years
for nothing!' Or the little child came
home from school with the hot fever
that stopped not for the agenized
prayer or for the skilliul physician,
and the little child was taken. Or the
babe was lifted out Of your arms by
some quick epidemic. aud you stood
wondering why God ever gave you that
child at all, if so soon He WAS to take
it away. And yet you are not repin-
ing, you are not fretful, you are not
fighting Against God.
What has enabled you To stand all
the trialp .'Oh," you say, Il took the
medicine that God gave my sick soul
In my distress | threw myself at the
feet of u sympathizing God; and when
| was too weak to pray, or TO look up,
He breathed into me a peace that |
think must be the foretasre OF that
heaven where there is neither a tear,
nor n farewell. nor a grave Come.
all We who have been out To the grave
to weep-come, all We comforted souls,
get up off your knees. IL there no
power in this Gospel to sooth the
heart? Is there no power in this re-
ligion to quiet the worst paroxysm
of griefp There comes up an answer
from comforted widOwhood, and
orphanage, and childlessness, saying:
"Ayc, aye, we are witnesses!'
THE PREACHER AT THE GRAVE.
Again, l remark that we are wit.
nesses of the fact that religion has
power to give composure in the last
moment. l shall never forget the frs,
time l confronted death. We wen,
across the ccrnfields in the country. !
was led by my fathers hand and we
came to the farmhouse where the be.
reavement had come, and we saw the
crowd of wagons and carriages; bu,
there was one carriage that especially
attracted nay boyish attention and il
had black plumes. | said: Whats
thatP what's thatP Why those black
tassols on the topP" and after it was
explained to me, / was lifted up TO
tooh uDou tilC III lSHb ldtC vi 0l lGtt,
Christian woman, who three days be-
fore had departed in triumph. The
whole scene made an impression
never forgot.
In our sermon and in our lay exhor-
tations we are very APP, when We want
to bring Illustrations of dying triumph,
to go back to some distinguished per
sOnage-tO a John Knox or u Harriet
Newell. But | want You for Witnesses.
| want 10 know if you have ever
seen anything to make YOU believe that
he religion Of Christ can give compos-
ure in the final hour Now, in the
courts, attorney, jury and Judge will
never admit mere hearsaF. They de-
mand that the witness must have seen
with his own eyes, or heard with his
own ears. and so | am critical in my
examination of you now; and ! want to
know whether you have seen or heard
anything that makes you believe that
the religion of Christ gives composure
in the final hour.
EXPERIENCES AT II DYING BEDSIDE.
"Uh, yes" you say, Il saw my
father and mother depart. There was
a great difference in their deathbeds.
Standing by the one we felt more ven
GRAFTON. BY the other, there was more
tenderness" Before the one. you
bowed perhaps to I'VE In the other
case, you felt AS if you would like to go
along with her. How did they feel in
| that last hour? How did they seem to
act? Were they very much frightened
| Did they take hold of this word with
both hands ~ though they did not
want to give it up? .'Oh, no." YOU
say; ''no. | remember as though il were
yesterday; she had a kind word for us
all, and there were q few mementoes
distributed among the children, and
| then she told us how kind we must be
to our father in his loneliness, and then
she kissed us good-by and went asleep
as a child i'm q cradle"
What made her so composedp Nat
ural courageP NO" you say, "mother
was very nervous; when the carriage
inclined to the side of the road. she
would cry out; she vas always rather
weakly" What, then, gave her con-
posurep Was it because she did not
care much for you, and the pang of
parting was not great? "Oh,' you
say. "she showered upon us a wealth
Of affection; 40 mother ever loved her
children more than
MOrHER
loved us; she showed it by the way she
nursed us when we were sick. and she
toiled for Us until her strength gave
out" What, then, vas 1t that give
her composure in the lest hourP Do
not hide it. Be frank and let me know.
Oh you say, lit was because she
was SO good; she made the Lord her
portion. and she had faith that she
would 60 straight TO glory, and that we
should all meet her 1t last at the foot
of the throne"
Here are people who say: 81 saw a
Christian brother die, and he tri-
umphed." And some one else: II
saw a Christian sister die, and she tri-
umphed." Come, all We who have
seen the last moments Of q Christian,
and give testimony in this cause on
trial. Uncover your heads, put your
hand on the old family Bible from
which they used to read the promises,